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Should Vanguard Russell 2000 Value ETF (VTWV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market, the Vanguard Russell 2000 Value ETF (VTWV - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 09/22/2010.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $806.66 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Small Cap Value

Sitting at a market capitalization below $2 billion, small cap companies tend to be high-potential stocks compared to its large and mid cap counterparts, but come with higher risk.

While value stocks have lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, they also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. Looking at their long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in almost all markets. They are however likely to underperform growth stocks in strong bull markets.

Costs

Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.15%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.85%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 28% of the portfolio. Real Estate and Industrials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Slbbh1142 accounts for about 0.67% of total assets, followed by Southstate Corp (SSB - Free Report) and Meritage Homes Corp (MTH - Free Report) .

Performance and Risk

VTWV seeks to match the performance of the Russell 2000 Value Index before fees and expenses. The Russell 2000 Value Index measures the performance of the small-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe.

The ETF has gained about 8.67% so far this year and it's up approximately 22.09% in the last one year (as of 09/19/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $110.31 and $150.96.

The ETF has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 22.23% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 1451 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard Russell 2000 Value ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, VTWV is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF (AVUV - Free Report) and the Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF (VBR - Free Report) track a similar index. While Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF has $13.29 billion in assets, Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF has $30.05 billion. AVUV has an expense ratio of 0.25% and VBR charges 0.07%.

Bottom-Line

Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

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